New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) takes the field before the start of the game against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium. / David Butler II, USA TODAY Sports

by Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY Sports

by Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY Sports

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Three Patriots players took turns at the podium after a practice session this week, leaving little doubt that they were all coming from the same place.

Logan Mankins, the grizzled, All-Pro guard, was up first. When someone asked whether the eighth-year pro is concerned about long-term risks of playing football -- in light of the conclusion by scientists that former NFL linebacker Junior Seau suffered from a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma -- he wouldn't go there.

"I'd say so, if you sit down and really think about it, but right now we're in the playoffs," Mankins said. "You can probably say we're meat-headed, not to even think about it."

Next up was stylish receiver Brandon Lloyd, a 10th-year vet in his first season with Team Belichick. The question came from a TV reporter in the back row.

"We're in the playoffs," Lloyd said tersely. "I'm only talking about the playoffs."

Devin McCourty, the versatile defensive back in his third season, followed. Playoffs.

This pattern of spinning the responses into a declaration that they are in the postseason -- which for New England begins at The Razor against the Houston Texans on Sunday -- was undoubtedly the result of some serious coaching. Bill Belichick is known to provide his players with talking points for media sessions, and his fingerprints were surely in the room.

This is The Patriot Way. The players can be so programmed. Maybe they should be called Team Cyborg.

It is especially intriguing to witness how new players come from elsewhere and get acclimated to the no-nonsense culture. Randy Moss lasted a few years, revitalized his career, then left and flopped. Corey Dillon came, saw and conquered. Now a talented cornerback with a reputation wrapped in trouble with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Aqib Talib, has demonstrated that he, too, can be a model citizen.

Lloyd is feeling this vibe. He has quite the perspective, given his personal tour of the NFL. Drafted by the 49ers, he was traded to the Redskins. After a stint with the Bears, he blossomed with the Broncos and was traded to the Rams. This is Lloyd's sixth team.

His first career playoff game comes on Sunday. Until now, in January he would himself in places like The Bahamas or at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. He wouldn't even watch the playoffs, unless he happened to catch a glimpse by chance, like as he passed through a hotel lobby. This opportunity to finally play in January is why he's here.

"The ultimate goal is to play in the Super Bowl, and the only way to get to the Super Bowl is to make it to the playoffs," Lloyd said. "This is a step along the way to the ultimate goal. For all the teams in the playoffs, this is just the beginning."

To a large degree, the Patriot Way works as a model of consistency. They are always in the hunt. New England has won the AFC East title in nine of the past 10 seasons, and during each of those 10 campaigns has won at least 10 games.

But the standard is still measured by Super Bowl titles, and this has been one long drought for Team Belichick. The Patriots haven't won a Lombardi Trophy since the 2004 campaign. That's almost eight years since winning the big one.

Robert Kraft surely has the itch. When the team's owner passed out AFC Championship rings during a minicamp in June, he implored, "Now let's go get the real ones!"

As he sat in his Gillette Stadium office, I asked Kraft if he is superstitious when considering that in a few weeks, Super Bowl XLVII will be staged in New Orleans.

"In the last 25 years, there have been three Super Bowls in New Orleans," he said. "The Patriots have been in every one. We hope there's some special karma going on somewhere. But who knows? First, we have to get through this week, and I know all eight teams in the same position are thinking the same way.

"But at least we know we have an attachment to New Orleans."

Sounds like Kraft had broken some Patriot Way house rule.

Belichick doesn't prevent you from thinking two games down the road?

"Prevent me?" Kraft chuckled. "I guess he could, but I wouldn't listen. Look in the lower right-hand corner. You know what I'm talking about? For us old-timers who don't have direct deposit, that's where the signature on the check is."

Then Kraft caught himself.

"It's foolhardy to think beyond this week," he said. "The team has tunnel vision. But when you're in my position, you can dream."

It's not a pipe dream. Not with Tom Brady running an efficient offense that has impressed with its balance and resourcefulness for adjusting to injuries. The Patriots earned the AFC's No. 2 seed, which gives them a chance to host the AFC title game if they defeat the Texans and the Ravens upset the Broncos. The more likely path, though, would mean having to go through Denver for another big Brady vs. Peyton Manning showdown.

A month ago, the Patriots drubbed the Texans, 42-14, turning a matchup of the two highest-scoring teams in the league into a mismatch as Brady passed for four touchdowns. That's fueled talk from the outside that conditions exist for another rout. Naturally, Belichick dismisses that notion, with much substance for the talking points.

Two years ago, the Patriots hosted the Jets in the AFC Divisional Playoffs, a few weeks after clobbering New York, 45-3. The Jets won the playoff rematch.

Said Mankins, "Oh, yeah, 2010 is a good example. Beat the hell out of the Jets and then come back and lose to them. Then last year we beat Denver (in a regular-season rout), and they come here (in the playoffs) and we beat the hell out of them. So it can go either way. It's just what you do on that Sunday. If you execute and play good football, you give yourself a chance to win."

Which pretty much sums up the essence of The Patriot Way.

Also in play for the Divisional Playoff Weekend:

Who's hot:

Russell Wilson

Three rookie quarterbacks led their teams to the playoffs, but just one remains -- the one drafted by Seattle in the third round. Wilson, all 5-foot-11 of him, heads into the second round of the playoffs in his familiar role as an underdog, but he is a key reason why the Seahawks represent a dangerous team to play. In the wild-card round victory at Washington, he didn't get unraveled when his team fell behind 14-zip in the first quarter and then squandered multiple red-zone opportunities. He just kept playing his part, including a few key runs off read-option plays, to complement diesel running back Marshawn Lynch and the stiff defense. It's not about winning a shootout for Wilson. Including last weekend at FedEx Field, when he passed for 187 yards (1 TD, 0 INT, 92.9 rating), he's had 10 games this season with fewer than 200 passing yards. But he doesn't make many mistakes, reflected with his 27-10 TD-INT ratio, including postseason. That's why Wilson is in the conversation with the higher-profile Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck for Rookie of the Year honors -- and why he's still playing.

Pressure's on: Mike Smith

Can the Falcons coach finally win a playoff game? With three losses in three tries over the past four seasons, that question has hovered over the Falcons for months. They finally get a chance to do something about it, the next step after securing the NFC's top seed. Then again, few No. 1 seeds in recent years have had as many non-believers as the Falcons, who won seven of their 13 games this season by seven points or less. The odds to break through and release the playoff monkey off their back with a victory against the Seahawks have to be bolstered by the fact that under Smith, and with Matt Ryan at quarterback, the Falcons are 33-6 at the Georgia Dome.

Rookie revue: Bernard Pierce

The Ravens third-round running back has missed practice time while nursing a knee injury this week. A few weeks ago, this would have barely registered. But Pierce has emerged so much down the stretch that offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell described him as a "godsend" -- i.e. effective relief to complement workhorse back Ray Rice. Pierce rushed for 103 yards on 13 carries against the Colts (when Rice uncharacteristically fumbled twice), including a 43-yard jaunt. Maybe it's his fresh legs. Pierce ripped off a 78-yard run as part of a 123-yard breakout against the Giants in Week 16. He's shown a knack for extending plays after first contact, the substance behind his 4.9-yard average carry. The past three games, the carries have added up, to give Rice a spell. Including the regular-season finale when the starters were given extended rest, Pierce logged 13, 22 and 14 carries the past three games. In the first 14 games, he had just one outing with at least 10 rushes. His workload on Sunday might be a good indicator of whether the Ravens can dictate the terms to pull off an upset in Denver.

Key matchup: Roddy White v. Brandon Browner

The Falcons are sparked by their big, physical receivers. The Seahawks bring big, physical corners. Something has to give. Matt Ryan might have better success throwing away from Richard Sherman and testing Browner, the NFL's biggest cornerback at 6-foot-4, 221 pounds. He looks like a linebacker. It's unlikely that Browner will spend the entire game matched against White, who caught 92 passes for 1,351 yards this season. But it will be just as challenging against Julio Jones, who led Atlanta with 10 receiving scores.

Next man up: Billy Cundiff?

Leave it to Jim Harbaugh to open up a crucial competition as the 49ers seek their playoff edge. He brought in Cundiff -- who with the Ravens last season missed the chip-shot, potential game-tying field goal at New England in the final seconds of the AFC title game -- to challenge David Akers. Granted, Akers, 38, is getting up there in his 15th NFL season. But he did tie the NFL record with a 63-yard field goal in the season-opening win at Green Bay, in what was otherwise his shakiest season. He missed clutch field goal tries in two games against the Rams, which turned out as a tie and a loss. This week, he won. Harbaugh decided to stick with Akers, but you know he's serious. The 49ers coach made the most controversial move of the season in November when he benched quarterback Alex Smith and made second-year pro Colin Kaepernick the starter. Cundiff is still on the roster, so the threat looms. It's likely that the strong-legged Cundiff will be inactive for Saturday night's game against the Packers, but if there were a spot he could bring value on kickoffs. If Akers happens to miss on a chance for a game-winning kick? Well, there would be another large window opened for second-guessing Harbaugh.

Did you notice?

Joe Flacco is the only quarterback in NFL history to win a playoff game in each of his first five seasons. He set a Ravens playoff record last weekend with a 125.6 passer rating, with a 282-yard, 2-TD, zero-pick outing against the Colts. Now for the bad news, as Baltimore heads into Denver: Flacco's been a much different quarterback on the road. Flacco posted a 99.0 passer rating at home, with an average of 8.35 yards per attempt. In road games, the marks dipped to 74.9 and 5.86.

Stat's the fact

With 140 yards, including a touchdown, against the Bengals, Arian Foster became the first player in NFL history to top 100 yards in each of his first three career playoff games. His 425 rushing yards are also most for the first three playoff outings. The Texans star had just 46 yards on 15 carries during the trip to New England in December, but that came in a blowout that skewed pass-run balance.